Poznań's tourist offer

Poznań City Hall’s archive, photo. Ł. Gdak

In 2017, the number of overnight stays increased to almost 1.5 millionPoznań visited 878 thousand tourists staying overnight at tourist facilities, including 206 thousand foreign tourists.

New tourist trails

In 2017, the TRAKT Center for Cultural Tourism (CK TRAKT) prepared 3 proposals for tourist routes as part of the Royal-Imperial Route:

Two routes have already been created, i.e. the “Jewish Heritage Trail” and the “Reformation Heritage Trail”.
One route is still being prepared – “The Poznań Trail of Women”.

All trails are available in printed and digital versions in 2 languages: Polish and English.

Poznań City Card

In 2017, as part of the 6th edition of the Poznań City Card, its discount offer was significantly expanded, and in December work on the implementation of the next edition of the project was completed.

Prices of the Poznań City Card:
Normal:
1-day with public transportation – 49 PLN, without public transportation – 44 PLN
2-day with public transportation – 65 PLN, without public transportation – 55 PLN
3-day with public transportation – 79 PLN, without public transportation – 65 PLN
Discounted:
1-day with public transportation – 35 PLN, without public transportation – 30 PLN
2-day with public transportation – 49 PLN, without public transportation – 40 PLN
3-day with public transportation – 59 PLN, without public transportation – 48 PLN

In 2017 Poznań was most often visited by tourists from:

Germany
Great Britain
Spain
France
USA
Italy

TRAKT Center for Cultural Tourism (CTK TRAKT)

CTK TRAKT is a municipal cultural institution which combines tourism with educational and cultural offer and organisation of numerous interesting undertakings. In 2017, CTK TRAKT continued to promote Poznań’s most recognizable tourist products, such as the Royal-Imperial Route and the ICHOT Gate of Poznań.

In 2017:

the “Chodź/ć zobacz! Przewodnik po Trakcie Królewsko-Cesarskim dla dzieci” (“Come See! A Guide to the Royal-Imperial Route for Children”) was published as a result of a participatory project for children and prepared with their cooperation. As part of the project’s implementation, a training course for teachers, educators, and tutors was held on artistic education in the city space. The project involved 254 participants. The publication won the 3rd prize in the category of children’s publications at the XXVI Ogólnopolski Przegląd Książki Krajoznawczej i Turystycznej (26th National Review of Landscape and Tourist Books).
in 2017, 25 tours of Ostrów Tumski were organised, including 17 weekend tours during the summer season, with a total of 361 participants taking part in the tours. The 18 trips along the Royal-Imperial Route in the summer were attended by 533 people.
the 12th edition of the “Weekend z Historią na Trakcie Królewsko-Cesarskim – Akcja Reformacja” (“Weekend with History on the Royal Imperial Route – Action Reformation”) was held with the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s speech and the beginning of the Reformation as its main theme. The event included open-air events in the Old Town, the City Centre, Ostrów Tumski and the Poznań Gateway, attended by more than 1,000 people.
during the summer season, every Saturday, a promotional campaign “Historia na straganie” (“History at a stall”) was carried out in plac Wielkopolski; while shopping, residents of Poznań and tourists could read short stories related to the Royal-Imperial Route and the city’s inhabitants.
in July, August and October, three editions of the “Zabytek otwarty” (“Open Monument”) event were held, which allowed to visit historic buildings that are usually not open to tourists along the Royal-Imperial Route: the fire brigade building at ul. Masztalarska, a building of the State Archives at ul. 23 Lutego and the All Saints Church at ul. Grobla. The event was attended by a total of 600 participants.

The most interesting publications published in 2017 by CTK TRAKT include the following:

“Józef Rogaliński. Z wiarą i drobnowidzem przez wiek XVIII”, which accompanied the temporary exhibition under the same name
“Elektrownia Garbary. Dokument potencjalny” – summarizing the temporary exhibition presented at the Poznań Gate in 2017.
“The Royal-Imperial Route. The Poznań City Guide” – an English version of the guide to the Royal-Imperial Route.
“Szkoła dziedzictwa. Wielokulturowość” – summarizing the recurrent educational programme for teachers and their students.

“Mood for Wood” – an international design workshop organised, among others, at the Poznań Gate Amphitheatre. The products of the project were city furniture adapted to the visitors of the ICHOT Gate of Poznań, made by the participants. The theme of last year’s project was “River in the City”. The workshop was co-organized by CTK TRAKT and the Association of Polish Architects.

Classes at schools and kindergartens, including groups from international exchanges, groups of students with intellectual disabilities and hearing deficiencies were held in the ICHOT Gate of Poznań and in the Ostrów Tumski area. The permanent offer included 66 topics, with 15.9 thousand participants in 2017. In 2017, scenarios for new activities on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of independence were also prepared.

As part of the activities addressed to families, the following educational projects were carried out, among others:

“Magiczny dywan” (“Magical carpet”) and “Muzyczny Dywan” (“Musical carpet”) – aimed at families with children aged 3-5; the classes were held in the space of the ICHOT Gate of Poznań, Ostrów Tumski and Śródka; 552 people took part in 17 meetings
Summer workshops for 215 children aged 7-12: “Cztery żywioły” (“Four Elements”) (twice), “Opowieści dziwnej treści “ (“Stranger Tales”) and “Zakodowani” (“Encoded”) – thematically related to the heritage of Ostrów Tumski.
“Senior-Ekspert” (“Senior-Expert”) classes for families with children aged 6-12, with 87 participants; the workshops were co-created by senior citizens who shared their experiences with children, talked about their professions; 3 such meetings were held: “Sms z przeszłości” (“A text message from the past”), “Ptasie historie” (“Bird stories”) and “Po nitce do kłębka (“Bread crumbs on the trail”)
3 workshops “Kultura utula” (“Culture embraces”) presenting the ways of tying scarves and wearing babies in slings and carriers for young parents, combined with a visit to an exhibition; 37 people took part in the workshops which were organized in cooperation with the “Matecznik” Foundation.

The following were organised for persons with disabilities:

a programme dedicated to the charges of Occupational Therapy Workshops, the offer was used by approx. 90 people
regular meetings (6 in total) for the charges of the Fundacja Na Niebiesko, i.e. families with neuroatypical and autistic children; various work cards and sensory activities were prepared for the children
“Dostępna kultura” (“Accessible Culture”) project dedicated to children with disabilities, which was implemented jointly with the Fundacja Inicjatyw “Mili Ludzie”; a film with audio description and subtitles was screened as part of the project, and the project attracted 90 participants.

For the 3rd time, the ICHOT Gateway of Poznań hosted a series of events called “Rzeka żywa” (“The Living River”), which aimed to remind the inhabitants about the value of nature and the importance of the river in the life of the city. The events were attended by 565 people. Moreover, in 2017 the project “Rzeka żywa” was featured at the Polish Exchange of Projects “Water + animations” organized by the National Centre of Culture in Gdynia as one of the winning projects.

XXV European Heritage Days – September 9, 2017 at the ICHOT Gate of Poznań, the national inauguration of the European Heritage Days took place, which Poland has been organising since 1993. Last year, the inaugural event was prepared in cooperation with the National Heritage Institute in Warsaw. As part of the event, a concert of the Vołosi band was organized, as well as a multimedia walk “Jasna Wyspa. Mapping na zabytkach” and other trips and educational workshops were also held.

Gate of Poznań

In 2017, the Gate of Poznań developed and implemented 7 new offers for thematic sightseeing:

“Wyprawa z Mieszkiem” (“A trip with Mieszko”) – a scenario for families
“Dzień z życia Radomiły i Mojmira” (“A day in the life of Radomiła and Mojmir”) – a scenario for adults
“Co jest za Bramą” (“What’s beyond the Gate”) – a scenario for adults
“Wyspa podróżników” (“Traveler’s Island”) – a scenario for adults
“Jak to działa? Brama Poznania” (“How it works? The Gate of Poznań”) – a scenario prepared for the European Funds Open Days
“Poszukiwacze skarbów” (“Treasure hunters”) – guided tours for families with children
a game at the exhibition “Dziwny przypadek Bolesława Z.” (“The Strange Case of Bolesław Z.”) – an event dedicated to adults

The most interesting initiatives and exhibitions carried out by the ICHOT Gate of Poznań in 2017 included:

“Trzeba by jeszcze powiedzieć” (“One should also say”) – a temporary exhibition presenting photographs of the former Śródka and the stories of its inhabitants, collected as part of the Social Archives of Śródka
“Józef Rogaliński – z wiarą i drobnowidzem przez wiek XVIII” (“Józef Rogaliński – through the 18th century with faith and a microscope”) – a temporary exhibition presenting the figure of Jesuit Fr. Józef Rogaliński
“Elektrownia Garbary. Dokument potencjalny” (“Garbary Power Plant. Potential Document”) – a temporary exhibition presenting the old and contemporary image of the Garbary power plant in the city.
“Fox przerabia” (“Fox redoes”) – a temporary exhibition presenting photographs and photomontages made by Miłosz “Fox” Lisiecki
“Efekt mostu” (“The Bridge Effect”) – a temporary exhibition to mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Bishop Jordan Bridge, presenting the importance of the bridge in the process of revitalizing Śródka

In 2017, in connection with the education reform, the permanent educational offer for schools was adapted to the guidelines of the new core curriculum – among others, new scenarios for classes were developed. The following projects were implemented:

the “Szkoła Dziedzictwa” (“School of Heritage”) project, which aims to provide teachers with opportunities for professional development through training courses and workshops during which new methods and forms of working with students are presented
the finals of the “Szkoła dziedzictwa. Wielokulturowość” (“School of Heritage: Multiculturalism”) and the training part of the “Szkoła dziedzictwa. Działaj!” (“School of Heritage. Act!”). Another 33 thematic projects have been published on the ICHOT Gate of Poznań’s website. So far, 37 teachers from 4 regions have participated in the programme.

One of the most important outdoor events organized by the Gate of Poznań was the May Day of 2017, on the 3rd anniversary of the opening of this institution, with 2.4 thousand people taking part. The program of the event included many attractions, such as: “Ciche Disco Tuż Nad Rzeką”, “Pozytywnie zakiszeni – warsztaty fermentu kulinarnego”, “Roślinnie JEMY na wiosnę”, “Kije nad Cybiną”, “Z Biegiem Rzeki – spływy kajakowe wokół Ostrowa Tumskiego”, and also “TRAKT w Dymkach – sekwencyjne historyjki obrazkowe”/”Żywy Komiks” – an exhibition presenting the lives of interesting but little-known figures connected with the history of Poznań and the Royal-Imperial Route itself. The “Żywy Komiks” initiative involved people walking on the Bishop Jordan Bridge, during which the participants could take pictures of themselves. About 1.2 thousand people took part in the event.

In 2017, the ICHOT Gate of Poznań organized a nationwide seminar “Odbiorcy instytucji kultury. Osoby z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną” (“Recipients of cultural institutions. People with intellectual disabilities”), addressed to employees of cultural institutions. The aim of the event was to share knowledge and good practices in the area of developing the offer of cultural institutions adapted to people with intellectual disabilities. The seminar was attended by 93 people.

Poznań Local Tourist Organization

The Poznań Local Tourist Organisation (PLTO) promotes Poznań as an open and friendly city for Polish and foreign tourists, and also takes care of the city’s image at various international events, such as tourist fairs. In 2017, the PLTO expanded its activity by running information points.

The project “Zwiedzanie Bramy Poznania przez blogerów, vlogerów i touroperatorów” (“Touring the Gate of Poznań by bloggers, vloggers and tour operators”), which was carried out throughout 2017, was aimed at promoting the ICHOT Gate of Poznań on the international arena, as well as strengthening cooperation between the ICHOT Gate of Poznań and local associations. The campaign was co-organized with the Poznań Local Tourist Organization and was attended by tour operators from Israel and Ukraine, vloggers from Canada, bloggers from China, as well as guests from Germany and South Korea.

Acanthus Aureus – an award won by the Poznań Local Tourist Organisation for the stand at the Tour Salon 2017, prepared for the implementation of the company’s marketing strategy.

Piast Trail in Wielkopolska Tourist Cluster

The Piast Trail in Wielkopolska Tourist Cluster is a project promoting monuments connected with the Piast Trail. As part of the programme, the 2nd edition of the “Weekend Na Szlaku Piastowskim” (“Weekend on the Piast Trail”) was organized. One of the attractions of the event was a trip with flashlights to the Poznań cathedral “Katedra – instrukcja obsługi (“Cathedral – an instruction manual”). The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the presence of the ICHOT Gate of Poznań on the Piast Trail. About 100 people took part in the project prepared in cooperation with the Tourist Organisation “Szlak Piastowski” (Piast Route).

The pilot editions of the 1st Piast Organ Triptych and the 1st Piast Motorcycle Rally were also organized.
It is planned to expand the offer with a loyalty programme – the Piast Card, which is to complement the functionality of the mobile app.

In 2017, accommodation packages for the Piast Trail went on sale, in the following year it will be possible to run an e-store and book online.

The Piast Trail is promoted in social media, as well as through direct mailing and notes sent to the media. Thanks to the study visit by bloggers from www.polskieszlaki.pl, the information about the Piast Trail has been updated on this website.

Half Price Poznań

In 2017, the 10th edition of the “Half Price Poznań” campaign was held. Tourists and residents could take advantage of approximately 150 attractions for half the price or free of charge. The event attracted about 20-30 thousand participants, and it was estimated that about 50-65 thousand services were sold.

Poznań Fortress Days

In 2017, the 5th edition of the “Poznań Fortress Days” event was held. The event serves as a pretext to show available places and attractions connected with urban fortifications from the Middle Ages to the present day. The programme includes about 25 attractions made available to visitors thanks to cooperation with museums and fans of Poznań’s fortifications. The event was attended by 12 thousand participants.